


Hold my hand (I can hear the ghosts calling)

by whynotcherries



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Family Feels, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Gen, Underworld (Once Upon a Time)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27098485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynotcherries/pseuds/whynotcherries
Summary: “Henry?” he tries not to look, he tries so, so hard, because confirming that he’s really there means that means either Emma lied to Regina, or his dad lied to Emma and he’s really, really not eager to figure out which.Or Henry meets Neal in the Underworld and he haswordsfor him.
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy & Henry Mills
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Hold my hand (I can hear the ghosts calling)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I feel like this is a bit out of character for Henry, but I also really wanted to write something like this and it's really late at night and I don't have the energy to go fix it, so here!

Henry hadn’t really been that old, when they’d first met. Not when he really thought about it.

It still felt like it was yesterday, but every month with him gone felt like a little bit longer, until he was fourteen, fifteen, _sixteen_ and his dad was still gone. Not that he’d known him for even a year, not that he’d even really spent a whole month with him before-

Well. At least he’d had something.

At least he’d known he loved him. That’s a little better than never having met him at all.

It really shouldn’t still keep him up at night anymore. He shouldn’t be losing sleep over all of the different things they never got to do, how many things his dad missed already.

The second he hears his mother talking about how she’d seen him in whatever magic dream thing she’d had when she fainted on the way down to the Underworld, he sneaks out of the fire escape and goes running off.

At first, he’s just in shock- how could he not have any unfinished business? Did that mean he didn’t care what happened to him? Maybe he didn’t love him as much as he’d thought, then-

And then he stops, running, stops everything all together. It’s not really respectful to think such ill things of the dead, he supposes, as he gets to the beach. He all but collapses onto the rocks on the shore, yanking off his backpack and keeping a firm hold on it as he sobs into it.

This is ridiculous, he thinks. How did he even end up here? How did Regina _let him come here_? He’d thought she’d cared more than that; or that she just had more common sense than to bring him with them here.

Maybe not. Or maybe she’d just not noticed he was there until they were on the boat and it was too late already.

Either way- damn, Mom.

He hears a little bit of a crunch on the rocks behind him, but honestly with how much he’s worked himself up, it would be really difficult to stop crying now. And hell, maybe they’re not here for him, maybe they’re just hanging out by the beach, too.

“Henry?” he tries not to look, he tries so, so hard, because confirming that he’s really there means that means either Emma lied to Regina or his dad lied to Emma and he’s really, really not eager to figure out which.

He looks anyway.

Okay, so maybe he’s crazy.

“Dad?” he chokes a little in between sobs- he’s really trying to calm down, he’d _swear_ on it, but-

Neal’s all but tackled him over before he can even take another breath.

He thinks he might be able to feel his dad crying. Either that, or laughing, but it could also just be himself, too, “God, I missed you, buddy,” he hears and he relaxes a little bit. For a second, maybe something is right in the world.

He tightens his grip on Neal, still sort of tipped over, and he holds his breath a little bit.

He’s not sure how long they sit like that, just absolutely caught up in being near each other for the first time in _four years_ , holding on extra, extra tight. 

He’s also not sure who let’s go first, but one of them does eventually and Neal leans back against the log he’d set himself in front of, rubbing Henry’s back until his breathing evens out enough to talk.

“Did you see Mom?” Henry asks, looking up at him a little bit, playing with the sleeves of his coat.

Neal looks like he’s been caught in a lie (he has, of course), sucking in through his teeth a little as he meets Henry’s eyes, “Yeah, I saw her, bud,” he nods, swallowing hard.

Henry looks out at the water, “You lied to her,” he acknowledges, tensing up a little bit.

He can see Neal nod out of the corner of his eye, “I didn’t want her to spend more time here than-”

“Why not?” Henry all but yells at him, “She would help you if you just told her the truth. You could come home!” he accuses, turning to look at him.

It feels _wrong_ , he’s never yelled at Neal before. They’d hardly ever even disagreed before.

Neal puts his hand on his shoulder and Henry pulls it away, “Henry-” he tries to stop him before he continues on.

Of course, this just makes him angrier, “Why did you lie to her?” he definitely does yell this time. Really loudly, in fact.

Neal takes in a breath, as if he almost looks a little scared, “I, uh, I wanted to protect her,” he explains, “I didn’t want her to spend more time down here than she would looking for Hook.”

Henry grunts, turning away and glaring back out at the water, “You should’ve told the truth,” he states, expression rock hard and he’s pretty sure he’s made his father fear for his life.

Neal nods, “I know,” he whispers, reaching out, testing the waters a little as he wraps his arm around Henry’s shoulders again, “I’m sorry, buddy,” he whispers, kissing the side of his head.

Henry gives a little nod before leaning his head against his father’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

They sit like that for a while, until Henry’s cooled down enough for them to be able to hold a civil conversation.

“Will you tell her now? If I bring you back to the loft with me?” Henry asks, sighing.

He feels Neal tense a little bit, but it doesn’t stop him from responding, “Yeah, buddy, I’ll tell her,” he whispers, squeezing his shoulders a little tighter. 

Henry nods against his arm before leaning away, “We should go, then, before they move again,” he says, grabbing his backpack.

He stands, looking down at Neal, who just stares up at him, “Yeah, right now, come on,” he urges, reaching his hand out for him to grab. 

Neal just chuckles and grabs his hand, standing up.

“God, you’re something else, kid,” he laughs, proceeding to walk side-by-side with his son all the way back to the loft.


End file.
